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Lindsey Vonn may have back-to-back podium finishes in the Alpine Ski World Cups, but her heart resides in another sport. The queen of slopes has a penchant for speed, that’s obvious. But her dream of ditching alpine skiing and partaking in F1 racing years ago may be new information to many. In the same vein, in a recent post, the 39-year-old former skier pens a heartfelt note.

The Downhill specialist, who once almost gave up her career for Formula 1, held herself back for the restrictions of the sport. But she never stopped making occasional appearances at popular racing events, especially for friend Lewis Hamilton. Having said so, she graced the VIP box at the recent 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix cheering on Red Bull and Hamilton. And after her favorite team’s win, a special post surfaced.

Lindsey Vonn pens a heartfelt note

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Resorting to her Instagram, the downhill Olympic gold medalist summarized her F1 journey with some inspirational stories. She captioned, “For me, it?s all about the speed! just a little background that you might not know?. I?ve been a big fan of this sport for over 12 years, around the time a young driver named Sebastian Vettel won his first championship ?to see this race in Vegas and how much the sport has grown is truly incredible.”

Sebastian Vettel, who is now a retired F1 racer, made history in front of the skiing great. As unbelievable as the story sounds, the Olympian had confirmed her dream in a previous interview. She had said, ?I was thinking about switching to Formula One and trying to be a driver.”? After the recent game, Vonn came out with her truest sportsman spirit.

Instead of taking his close-knit friend Lewis Hamilton’s side, she congratulated her brand partner, Red Bull’s double podium. Standing on top is Max Emilian Verstappen, and on the third is Sergio Michel “Checo” P?rez Mendoza.

Besides her F1 racing tours, the star Olympian almost equalled men in alpine skiing. In fact, she even submitted a petition where the 39-year-old clearly expressed her will to be included in the men’s events in the World Cup circuit.

Vonn’s undefeatable expertise

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Though her petition never got approved, she oftentimes practised with the men skiers. Years and years of training with men, she didn’t feel the gender gap or the lack in strength as much. Gradually she realised that it’s not something unachievable. While speaking about that, she said, ?I trained as they?re better than I am and I wanted to push myself and this would be the ultimate?

She also added the Norwegian team supported her throughout, and interestingly, some guys even feared challenging her for bouts. To this she said, ?I?d train with the Canadian guys and they always had a bet that whoever got beat by me would have to do the dishes that day. There were people doing the dishes, trust me!”

READ MORE: Iga Swiatek Hits Two Winning Shots With One Racquet as Lindsey Vonn Pens Special Cheer Over WTA Finals Win

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After exiting skiing, Vonn took up several paths to motivate the youngsters. Through her wellness routines and expert takes on sports and media, the Olympian is atop her game.

Watch this story: ?Despite Staggering 88 World Cup Wins, Skiing prodigy Mikaela Shiffrin faces an Upset at Women?s World Cup Giant Slalom